Mallee - Part 1

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This transcription is complete

THURSDAY, 14th DECEMBER, 1916. (At Perth.) ————— Present:

Charles Edward Dempster, Esq. (Chairman).

Matthew Thomas Padbury, Esq.

Ranald McDonald, Esq.

WILLIAM PATERSON, Managing Trustee of the Agricultural Bank, sworn and examined.

519. By the CHAIRMAN: How long have you held your present appointment?—For 21½ years.

520. How long have you been a member of the Railway Advisory Board? —I think about 18 months. That is the time that I occupied a position on that board.

521. During your term of office on the board what railways did you recommend? —I can get the information for the Commission.

522. On what dates did you visit the Esperance district? —I think one visit was in March and the other in September, 1910.

523. On that occasion you visited the district in company with the Minister for Lands and the Railway Advisory Board? —No. I visited the district with the Minister for Lands and was afterwards appointed a member of the Advisory Board, and then again visited it.Professor Lowrie was with us on the first occasion.

524. What was the nature of your investigations? —We travelled right through as well as we could in three weeks.

525. Did you go on to Ravensthorpe or back to Norseman? —We went back to Norseman. We had been to Ravensthorpe previously.

526. It was after that visit that you wrote your report? —After the last trip. It would be some time in March, 1911, that the report was presented.

527. Did you remark in that report about the salinity of the soil? —I do not think so. I thought that perhaps the tanks would reach salt. I do not recollect exactly what I did write.

528. In a letter to the Minister for Lands on the 13th April this year you stated that the poor crops in this district were probably due to the excess of salt in the soil? —That is right.

529. What led you to express that opinion? —Because of the reports I had from Mr. Richardson and Mr. Cooke, and other things. I did not state that this was so definitely, but that I thought it was the case.

530. You made some comments about the water supply? —That is in my first report.

531. Did not later developments show that your impression regarding water supply was erroneous? —I believe so. I do not know that some of the tanks are not salt even now. I believe they are.For ordinary use I think they are all right.

532. What is the total amount of advances made by the Government to the mallee settlers? —The Agricultural Department could supply that information. The bank has advanced to McCarty £93, to Reid £35, to Eggling £88 10s. 1d., to Lewis £322, and to McMillan £78, a total of £616 10s 1d.

533. We understand that the Esperance district has not come within the scope of the Agricultural Bank's operations? —That is so.

534. Why? —I do not think they could produce wheat profitably.

535. You stated in a letter to Baker in January,1912, referring to the isolated position of the land, that this did not render it a business proposition? —That is true I think.

536. What reports exist to your knowledge concerning the Esperance harbour? —I know nothing about it. I did not go into the matter.

537. You do not know of any reports? —I believe there are some, but did not bother about them.

538. Do you not think there is good reason to hope that the mallee land will eventually prove to be as good wheat country as in South Australia? —We all hope. Whether it will be so or not, I cannot say.

539. In April last you wrote to the Minister for Lands suggesting that the Treasury should indemnify the bank for advances to settlers there in the same way as was done in regard to Ravensthorpe? —If we advanced I thought we were justified in asking for this. The advances for Ravensthorpe were not satisfactory.

540. Did the Minister approve of your proposition? —I think the matter was shelved. I did not get a reply to the suggestion. Evidently the Treasury thought there was a possibility of going down.

541. Inspector White reported in December last the Grass Patch crops were not included in the 1912 to 1915 return. Why was that? —That is a matter for Mr. Sutton to say. Mr. White was not under our control. He was the best man I could give them for the conduct of experiments there,but I do not know anything about his operations. I did not ask him for information. The whole thing was under Mr. Sutton.

542. Have you visited the district recently? —No.

543. Have you visited the South Australian mallee country? —I have run through it on the railway, but that was mostly at night time. I have made no special comparison between the two countries.

544. Has it ever occurred to you that the conditions between the two States are similar in respect to this class of country?—No. I was not bothering